This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
| width=80 | Dates | Name | width=200 | Independent state | Original state | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1038–1047 | Miecław's Rebellion | Miecław's State | Duchy of Poland | Defeat of Miecław; his state is reincorporated into Poland | ||
| 1185–1188 | Uprising of Asen and Peter | Bulgaria | Independence of Bulgaria from the Byzantine Empire; creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire | |||
| 1296–1357 | Wars of Scottish Independence | Scotland | England | Scotland retains its status as an independent nation | ||
| 1468–1500 | Kazakh War of Independence | Kazakh Khanate | Uzbek Khanate | Kazakh Khanate maintains independence from the Uzbek Khanate | ||
| 1521–1523 | Swedish War of Liberation | Independence of Sweden from the Kalmar Union | ||||
| 1568–1648 | Eighty Years' War | Spain | Independence of the Netherlands from Spain | |||
| 1640–1668 | Portuguese Restoration War | Spain | Restoration of Portuguese independence from Spain | |||
| 1680–1707 | Maratha War of Independence | Mughal Empire | Mughals fail to annex Maratha Empire | |||
| 1703–1711 | Rákóczi's War of Independence | Hungary | Limited autonomy for Hungary within the Habsburg monarchy | |||
| 1775–1783 | American Revolutionary War (United States War of Independence) | Independence of the United States from Great Britain | ||||
| 1791–1804 | Haitian Revolution | Independence of Haiti from France | ||||
| 1804–1813 | First Serbian Uprising (Serbian Revolution) | Serbia | Defeat of insurgents; Ottoman Empire retains control of Serbia | |||
| 1808–1814 | Peninsular War | Independence of Portugal and Spain from France | ||||
| 1810s–1820s | Latin American wars of independence | Independence of many Spanish-American colonies from Spain | ||||
| Argentine War of Independence | Río de la Plata | |||||
| Bolivian War of Independence | ||||||
| Chilean War of Independence | ||||||
| Colombian War of Independence | Colombia | |||||
| Ecuadorian War of Independence | Ecuador | |||||
| Mexican War of Independence | Mexico | |||||
| Peruvian War of Independence | ||||||
| Venezuelan War of Independence | ||||||
| 1814 | Swedish–Norwegian War (1814) | Sweden | Partial independence of Norway within the later United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway | |||
| 1815–1817 | Second Serbian Uprising (Serbian Revolution) | Semi-independence of Serbia within the Ottoman Empire | ||||
| 1821–1829 | Greek War of Independence | Independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire | ||||
| 1822–1824 | Brazilian War of Independence | Portuguese Empire | Independence of the Empire of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves | |||
| 1825–1828 | Cisplatine War | Río de la Plata | Disputed between the Empire of Brazil and United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Independence of Uruguay from Brazil | |||
| 1826–1831 | Separation of Venezuela and Ecuador | Ecuador | Venezuela and Ecuador declared independence from the Republic of Colombia. Dissolution of Gran Colombia and creation of the Republic of New Granada. | |||
| 1830–1831 | November Uprising | Defeat of Polish insurgents. Russian retains control of Poland, introduction of the Organic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland, liquidation of Polish autonomy. | ||||
| 1830–1839 | Belgian Revolution | Independence of Belgium from the Netherlands | ||||
| 1835–1845 | Ragamuffin War | The Riograndense Republic is dissolved; reintegration with Brazil | ||||
| 1835–1836 | Texas Revolution | Independence of Texas from Mexico | ||||
| 1844–1856 | Dominican War of Independence | Haiti | Independence of Dominican Republic from Haiti | |||
| 1846 | Bear Flag Revolt | The California Republic declares independence from the Centralist Republic of Mexico. The republic is quickly annexed by the United States | ||||
| 1848–1849 | Italian War of Independence | Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont | Sardinia-Piedmont defeated by the Austrian Empire; Italian unification not achieved | |||
| 1857–1858 | Indian War of Independence | | British East India Company | East India Company loses power to Great Britain, vide Government of India Act 1858. | ||
| 1859 | Second Italian War of Independence | Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont Lombardy–Venetia | France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia defeat the Austrian Empire; most of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia transferred to France and then to Piedmont-Sardinia; Duchy of Parma, Duchy of Modena, Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal Legations annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia | |||
| 1861–1865 | American Civil War |  United States (Union) | Defeat and dissolution of the Confederacy; U.S. retains control of the South | |||
| 1863–1865 | January Uprising | Poland | Defeat of Polish insurgents; Russia retains control of Poland | |||
| 1863–1865 | Dominican Restoration War | Independence of Dominican Republic from 4 year occupation by the Spanish Empire; ousts Spain from Hispaniola | ||||
| 1866 | Third Italian War of Independence | Veneto | Austrian Empire loses Veneto to Kingdom of Italy | |||
| 1868–1878 | Ten Years' War | Defeat of insurgents; Spain retains control of Cuba | ||||
| 1869 | Red River Rebellion | Métis | Establishment of Provisional government of the Red River Colony | |||
| 1876 | April Uprising | Bulgaria | Defeat of Bulgarian nationalists by the Ottoman Empire; subsequent reprisals by the Ottomans led to the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78 and the 1878 independence of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. | |||
| 1877 | Romanian War of Independence | Independence of Romania from the Ottoman Empire | ||||
| 1896–1898 | Philippine Revolution | Inconclusive; Philippines independence from Spain then achieved by Spanish–American War | ||||
| 1895–1898 | Cuban War of Independence | Independence of Cuba from Spain following four years of American occupation | ||||
| 1899–1913 | Philippine–American War | Defeat of Philippine insurgents; United States retains control of the Philippines | ||||
| 1903 | Separation of Panama from Colombia | Separation of Panama from Colombia and construction of the Panama Canal | ||||
| 1916–1918 | Arab Revolt | Defeat of Arab aspirations for independence by post-World War I partition of Arab Ottoman Empire lands into protectorates controlled by United Kingdom and France | ||||
| 1917–1921 | Ukrainian War of Independence | Independence of Ukraine from Russia; partition of Ukraine by Soviet Union and Poland | ||||
| 1918–1920 | Estonian War of Independence | Independence of Estonia from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR | ||||
| 1918–1920 | Latvian War of Independence | Independence of Latvia from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR | ||||
| 1918–1920 | Lithuanian War of Independence | Independence of Lithuania from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR and Poland | ||||
| 1919–1921 | Irish War of Independence | Anglo-Irish Treaty
| ||||
| 1919–1923 | Turkish War of Independence | Allies of World War I | Creation of the Republic of Turkey | |||
| 1920–1926 | Rif War | Defeat of insurgents and Rif Republic; Spain retains control of Spanish Morocco | ||||
| 1936–1939 | Waziristan | British Empire | Rebellion suppressed | |||
| 1942-1947 | Second Indian War of Independence | Free India | INA captured parts of North-East India and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, later INA Trials triggered Bombay Mutiny & Royal Air Force mutiny which resulted in Indian Independence Act 1947[1] | |||
| 1944–1948 | Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine | Independence of Israel from the United Kingdom | ||||
| 1945–1949 | Indonesian National Revolution | Independence of Indonesia from the Netherlands | ||||
| 1946–1954 | First Indochina War | Independence of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia from France; partition of Vietnam | ||||
| 1947–1949 | 1948 Arab–Israeli War, aka Israel's War of Independence | Defeat of Arabs; Israel retains independence | ||||
| 1952–1960 | Kenyan Mau Mau Uprising | Defeat of insurgents; United Kingdom retains control of Kenya | ||||
| 1954–1962 | Algerian War | Algeria | Independence of Algeria from France | |||
| 1955–1972 | First Sudanese Civil War | Southern Sudan | Conflict between Sudan and South Sudan | |||
| 1961–1974 | Angolan War of Independence | Angola | Independence of Angola from Portugal | |||
| 1961–1991 | Eritrean War of Independence | Independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia | ||||
| 1961–ongoing | Papua conflict | Ongoing | ||||
| 1963–1974 | Guinea-Bissau War of Independence | Independence of Guinea-Bissau from Portugal | ||||
| 1964–1974 | Mozambican War of Independence | Independence of Mozambique from Portugal | ||||
| 1966–1988 | Namibian War of Independence | Namibia | Independence of Namibia from South Africa | |||
| 1967–1970 | Nigerian Civil War | Defeat and dissolution of the Republic of Biafra | ||||
| 1971 | Bangladesh Liberation War | Independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan | ||||
| 1975–ongoing | Cabinda War | Cabinda | Ongoing | |||
| 1975–1991 | Western Sahara War | Partition of Western Sahara between Morocco and Sahrawi Republic | ||||
| 1976–2005 | Insurgency in Aceh | Free Aceh Movement | Special autonomy granted to Aceh, disarmament of the GAM | |||
| 1981–1991 | Somaliland War of Independence | Somali National Movement | De facto independence of Somaliland from Somalia | |||
| 1982–ongoing | Casamance conflict | Low-level conflict since 2014 | ||||
| 1983–2005 | Second Sudanese Civil War | Independence of South Sudan from Sudan | ||||
| 1988–1994 | First Nagorno-Karabakh War | De facto independence of the Republic of Artsakh from Azerbaijan | ||||
| 1988–1998 | Bougainville Civil War | Bougainville receives autonomy in 2002; voted in favour of independence in 2019 | ||||
| 1990–1992 | Transnistria War | De facto independence of Transnistria from Moldova | ||||
| 1991–1992 | South Ossetia War | De facto independence for South Ossetia from Georgia | ||||
| 1991 | Liberation of Kuwait | Part of the Gulf War; Kuwait regains independence | ||||
| 1991–1995 | Croatian War of Independence | Independence of Croatia from Yugoslavia | ||||
| 1991 | Ten-Day War | Independence of Slovenia from Yugoslavia | ||||
| 1992–1995 | Bosnian War | [2] | Independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from SFR Yugoslavia; the new country is divided between two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska[3] | |||
| 1992–1993 | War in Abkhazia | De facto independence for Abkhazia from Georgia | ||||
| 1993–1996 | First Chechen War | Chechnya maintains de facto independence from Russia | ||||
| 1998–1999 | Kosovo War | No legal changes to Yugoslav borders according to the Resolution 1244, but de facto independence of Kosovo from the rest of Yugoslavia | ||||
| 1999–2009 | Second Chechen War | Defeat of Chechnya; reincorporation into Russia | ||||
| 2012 | Tuareg rebellion (2012) | Unrecognized independence of Azawad from Mali; renounced its independence in 2013 | ||||
| 2014–ongoing | Russo-Ukrainian War | Also called a "rebirth," or a war of independence from Russia by some Ukrainian sources.[4] [5] [6] | ||||
| 2014–2022 | War in Donbas | Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War; recognition of independence by Russia on 21 February 2022; annexed by Russia on September the same year. | ||||
| 2017–ongoing | Anglophone Crisis | Ongoing | ||||
| 2020–ongoing | Western Togoland Rebellion | Western Togoland | Ongoing |